The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Thursday proposed restricting the use of the term "paneer" for analogue products to prevent consumers from being misled about the nature and composition of the product they buy.

This draft amendment would affect food business operators, including hotels, restaurants, and caterers, that use substitutes instead of traditional dairy-based paneer or cheese.

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Mandatory Disclosures On Menus And Packaging Labels

Under the proposal, businesses using paneer or cheese analogues must clearly identify them at all consumer touchpoints, including menu cards and packaging labels, in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations.

"The amendment is proposed in the following regulation to restrict the manufacturing and sale of analogue products as paneer to prevent misleading consumers regarding the nature and composition of the product," the FSSAI notification read.

"Products already licensed or registered under the 'Analogue in Dairy Context' category shall discontinue the use of the term "Paneer" in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing," the notification added.

Why These Changes Matter

The FSSAI emphasised that these changes aim to ensure consumers are not misled about products that are not traditional dairy-based paneer or cheese. The proposal comes amid heightened food safety inspections and growing regulatory scrutiny over the composition and labelling of food products.

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FSSAI Crackdowns On Amazon, Swiggy, BigBasket, Flipkart, Zepto

Earlier on Wednesday, the FSSAI said that it has initiated penal action against five prominent e-commerce platforms: Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, Flipkart India and Zepto. The crackdown has been launched for various non-compliances, including misleading claims and sale of prohibited products.

In a social media post, the Indian food regulatory body stated that it has launched a "major crackdown on e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, Flipkart India and Zepto over regulatory non-compliances".

The non-compliances, according to it, include misbranding or misleading claims, as well as the sale and display of prohibited and poisonous food products.

(With Inputs From Agencies)